Justin Timberlake’s is taking another stab at an acting career with a new multimedia William Rast campaign.

William Rast is the clothing label he co-founded in 2005 with friend Trace Ayala, and although he’s kept a low profile within it he’s finally stepping into the spotlight to star as the fictional William Rast in the fall/winter 2008-’09 campaign.

Starring Timberlake, My Name is William Rast is a series of Web shorts he co-wrote, co-directed (with Jonas Åkerlund), and composed, and in the first, co-starring supermodel Erin Wasson, the multi-hyphenate introduces William Rast to the world.

He repeatedly pitted himself against his Republican rival, John McCain, and said, “We are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look just like the last eight. On Nov. 4, we must stand up and say: ‘Eight is enough.’”

I really wish I could help make a difference in this election, that a vote of mine, like my taxes, could count for something – that I could Barack the Vote.

Alas, that’s not going to happen…so I’m supporting Sen. Obama and Joe Biden, the next POTUS and VP, by purchasing a button ASAP that I plan on wearing until Election Day. A change is coming soon.

This December, Ron Howard will follow up his Da Vinci Code with Frost/Nixon, a dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.

Frank Langella, a Tony Award winner for his turn in the original stage production in 2007, portrays Nixon, while The Queen’s Michael Sheen (who should’ve been nominated for and Oscar for playing Tony Blair in that film) portrays Frost.

Frost/Nixon, which looks like an exhilarating piece of history on film, was written by Peter Morgan. It opens in limited release on Dec. 5.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The return of America’s favorite zip code – and Shannen Doherty! – is upon us, and Jennie Garth and Doherty are gracing the cover of Entertainment Weekly this week to let everyone know about it.

This is major for The CW, an upstart network that in spite of having buzzed-about shows like Gossip Girl and Smallville on schedule – and having once had Veronica Mars and Gilmore Girls as its crown jewels – had yet to score this type of coverage.

Not since Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I don’t think, has EW given young-adult-targeted shows such a plum spot.

The article covers the reunion between the old co-stars, who appear to have left the past in the past, next to those persistent fistfight rumors.

It also contains their in-unison “No” when they were asked if they ever imagined they’d be working together again, and previews and spoilers about the 90210 remake that’s bringing Brenda Walsh from London back to California and for a visit with her frenemy Kelly Taylor.

I cannot wait for the two-hour premiere on Sept. 2. It’s going to be great to see these two on screen. Photo: EW.com.

DreamWorks Pictures released today the original documentary Rain of Madness, a companion piece to Tropic Thunder, for download exclusively on iTunes. Starring Jay Baruchel, Jack Black, Steve Coogan, Robert Downey Jr., Bill Hader, Nick Nolte, and Ben Stiller, Rain of Madness serves as a documentary of the making-of the feature film.

It was shot on location in Hawaii, at the same locations used in Tropic Thunder, and details the demise of the fictitious cast and crew of the action comedy, as they struggle to finish shooting their film despite numerous shooting, budgeting, and casting problems.

“We wanted to do a fake documentary about the making of the movie within the movie, which is called Tropic Thunder – not the actual movie Tropic Thunder,” said Stiller, one of the stars of the documentary and the director-producer-star and co-writer of Tropic Thunder.

“The fake documentary focuses on the real movie’s fake director, and what happens to the fake cast before they go into the real jungle. It’s pretty straightforward.”

Monday, August 25, 2008

The Return of Ana Lucia Cortez

Michelle Rodriguez (pictured at right with former co-stars Josh Holloway’s sexy back and Harold Perrineau) is said to be set to reprise her fan-polarizing role as Ana Lucia Cortez in Lost’s fifth season next year.

The actress will appear in one episode, most likely the second one back.

Whether Ana Lucia will be back in a flashback or as one of the ghostly vision for which the show’s known remains to be seen. Uh duh.

ABC’s promising that the fifth season of Desperate Housewives will be “even juicier,” and to get its point across it produced a promo starring the ladies of Wisteria Lane, featuring Madonna’s version of “Fever.” Check it out:

Click here to watch the making of the promo. The show returns on Sept. 28.

Toward the end, she paused to shout to the crowd, “This is the bit where I take requests” – singing “Express Yourself” then changing her mind (“F--- that s---. I choose the songs,” she said) – and then launched into a crowd-pleasing “Like a Prayer,” finishing with “Give It 2 Me.”

After two hours, M left the stage as the screen flashed “Game Over.”

No, no…you’ve only just begun. See you soon! To see some opening night photos, click here. For more, which you know you want, get on the Google.

Opening on Dec. 12, the Edward Zwick-directed film stars Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell as real-life brothers who escaped the Nazis to form a resistance army of runaway Jews in Belarus during World War II.

This one’s awards bait, so don’t miss it.

Photo: EW.com.

Update: Aw, bummer! Quantum of Solace is now opening on Nov. 14, not on Nov. 7, a.k.a. a day after my birthday.

The strategic move places the highly anticipated James Bond adventure one week closer to the prime Thanksgiving holiday window and takes advantage of Warner Bros.’ decision to move the release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to next summer.

Friday, August 22, 2008

The Sound of the End of Cancer

I was listening to Top 40 this morning (I heart it, deal with it) when they played “Just Stand Up” the latest from 15 of the hottest female singers in the world – including Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Fergie, and Carrie Underwood.

The singers came together for the single, a collaboration that also features Mary J. Blige, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, and Leona Lewis, that was conceived by “L.A.” Reid, who produced it with Babyface.

“Just Stand Up” will benefit next month’s Stand Up to Cancer television event’s fund-raising drive.

So stand up and donate. The star-studded special will air on Sept. 5 on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, at 8 p.m.

It’s not the remake for which I so hope, but a Melrose Place cast reunion will do for now.

Word is producers are trying to organize cast reunions to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Emmy Awards next month by bringing together again the casts of several fan favorites – and the cast of Melrose Place is said to be at the top of their list.

Update: According to an MSNBC report, Broadway fans are not warming up to the erstwhile Joey Potter and ticket sales are “off from what [was] hoped,” although a publicist for the play says, “That information is totally false.”

Daniel Radcliffe wants theatergoers everywhere to know that taking the stage in Peter Schaffer’s Equus “has given me a little more confidence” – and that his much-talked-about nude scene is not that big a deal.

“It’s only seven minutes at the end of the play,” he told the audience at a talk held by The New York Times a couple of days ago.

Equus, which had a successful West End run last year, begins previews on Broadway on Sept. 5.

See him in the upcoming rom-com as Nick, a music snob who falls for Norah (The House Bunny’s Kat Dennings, a fellow up-and-comer) as the two chase their favorite band around the streets of New York City.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

I recently caught the trailer for the Greg Kinnear vehicle Flash of Genius, in which Graham plays his wife, and I just had to share.

The movie is based on the true story of college professor and part-time inventor Bob Kearns (Kinnear), who battled with the U.S. automobile industry to receive recognition for his ingenuity (he invented the intermittent windshield wiper) but paid a significant price for it.

Yes, it sounds like a stock part, but in Graham’s capable hands I’m sure it will be something memorable and vivid.

The singer recently became the father of twin sons, his publicist announced today.

“The children, delivered via gestational surrogacy, are healthy and already under Ricky’s full-time care,” said the statement. “Ricky is elated to begin this new chapter in his life as a parent and will be spending the remainder of the year out of the public spotlight in order to spend time with his children.”

The Heroes and the Villains Are ComingA new extended preview of Heroes’ third season, premiering on Sept. 22 on NBC, has been released, and evidently, “no one is safe.” This must-see show’s back. Watch the preview and get giddy with anticipation:

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Reunited, and It Feels So…“Awkward”You may have read – if you live for this sort of thing – that Kate Winslet has said re-creating her Titanic chemistry with Leonardo DiCaprio in front of her director-husband Sam Mendes was “awkward.” That can only mean one thing.

The two stars must get it on but good in Dec. 19’s Revolutionary Road – and that’s about reason enough to watch the film as soon as it opens.

Attention, Veronica Mars fans: A movie based on the dearly departed cult show is being talked about by its two most important players, show creator Rob Thomas, and star Kristen Bell.

The two met last week in the offices of Thomas’ Hollywood-based production company, located on the same lot where Bell is shooting NBC’s Heroes.

“Kristen and I ran into each other, and we did discuss a Veronica Mars movie," said Thomas. “It’s very tough to focus on it right now with two pilots [a reworking of his 1990’s dramedy Cupid and an adaptation of the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune] on my plate. But as soon as I have any free time, that’s my top priority.”

For her part, a more cautious Bell said, “We’ll see.”

Please, you two, make it happen. Pretty please, with lots of wit on top of it.

After decades spent telling classic New York City-set stories of love, neurosis, and relationships (and how they relate to one another), Woody Allen decided to explore other locales for inspiration, arriving in London to set his Match Point, Scoop, and Cassandra’s Dream.

The results were uneven.

Match Point re-invigorated Allen’s status as one of America’s most interesting directors, but his follow-ups failed to connect with critics and/or audiences.

His latest film, the Spanish-set Vicky Cristina Barcelona, is an inspired one about love and sex (neurosis has been replaced by passionate temporary insanity). It tells the story of two American tourists spending the summer in the titular city. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is tightly wound, pragmatic, and engaged to be married to a dull fellow back in New York, while Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is more of a free-spirit, go-with-the-flow kind of gal.

While in Barcelona, they encounter tall, dark, and handsome Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), a charmer who sweeps them off their feet for a loverly weekend in Oviedo, with one of the most phenomenal, effective, and ballsy pick-up lines I ever heard.

The three embark on an adventure (Vicky is quite reluctant at first, though), one that changes their summer plans, if not their lives forever. That is in theory, at least.

They forged connections that will immediately and eventually rear their sexy heads at the most inopportune times. It is as if they are ingredients for another’s lives, but it’s isn’t until Penélope Cruz, as Juan Antonio’s unstable, fire-cracking, alluring ex-wife, that Vicky Cristina Barcelona stirs its plot pot to achieve a delicious result.

The two Americans are at a crossroads by the end of the film. They’re scared, and I’m sure they’re wondering what’s it all about. You’re just going to have to watch to find out what they decide.

Love is a many splendored thing, and in this film, it’s a person’s desire, their fate, and their undoing. Allen delivers an honest look at this, shows us people do settle for love, or are restless for it. And we wouldn’t have it any other way, would we.

I really enjoyed Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and not just because I’ve interviewed Bardem (for The Sea Inside) and co-star Patricia Clarkson (for Married Life) – that’s just gravy. This film has style – it’s beautifully photographed – and substance, and that’s simply too irresistible a combination.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Cancer, Schmancer

Just a month after being diagnosed with breast cancer, Christina Applegate has said she’s perfectly healthy and cancer-free.

“I’m clear,” the erstwhile Kelly Bundy toldGood Morning America’s Robin Roberts in an exclusive interview that will air tomorrow. “Absolutely 100 percent clear and clean. They got everything out so I’m definitely not going to die from breast cancer.”

Good for her!

Applegate started getting mammograms six years ago after she turned 30. The cancer was found through the second of two MRI tests as a follow-up from a biopsy she had in 2007.

During the interview Applegate laughed about her reaction to the initial diagnosis, but perhaps only to offset the fear she felt then.

“I was so mad and I – I just remember I was…I was just shaking,” she said.

Expect to see see the Emmy-nominated star of ABC’s Samantha Who? in next month’s Stand Up to Cancer television event. The special will air on Sept. 5 on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, at 8 p.m.

Photo: Wikimedia.com.

Update: The actress revealed during the interview that she underwent a double mastectomy – even though cancer was only detected in one of her breasts.

Applegate described her decision, which some people may see as a radical one, as “the most logical” one for her (she has the breast cancer gene, BRCA1, and her mother battled the disease and suffered from a recurrence years later).

Madonna celebrated her 50th birthday with “a small party [of] family and friends” at Volstead, a trendy club in London.

The shindig reportedly was organized by her not-so-estranged-after all husband Guy Ritchie, who was even seen smiling with the missus going into the club. (There’s a hint of it in the picture at right, but if you go on the Google you can actually see both their pearly whites, trust.)

“She looks better now than she ever has done,” he told the 90 gathered guests, according to The Sun. “I’m so proud. I love her so much.”

Among the highlights of the evening, which had people dancing until 3 a.m. were Madonna's daughter Lourdes serenading her on the piano, and David Blaine performing card tricks. (Yeah – even M has to deal with obnoxious tricksters at her own party.)

Later, as the DJ played the singer’s greatest hits, she hit the dance floor with Lourdes and sons Rocco and David.

The Queen of Pop – loving those extensions, by the way – was back in the gym the next day. Someone took it easy on the lemon drops….

Friday, August 15, 2008

It happened 50 years ago today: Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in Bay City, Mich.

The Queen of Pop didn’t ascend to her throne until she was 26, but once she did, once she told the world her dream was to rule it, it never would be the same.

A singer-songwriter (from “Lucky Star” to “Voices,” her sound has been re-invented as many times as her look), an actress, a producer, a writer, a director; a provocateur; a revolutionary; a sexual fantasy; a mother and wife; and icon – she has done it pretty much all.

It’s safe to say she’s just getting started, so don’t you ever, ever, ever ask her to stop.

At 50, she can kick, stretch, and kick again. She’s the gift that keeps on giving, and today, I cel-e-brate.

Foz didn’t make it through to the semi-finals of the 50-meter free style after finishing sixth in his heat yesterday. After 22.35 seconds, the 38-year-old’s Olympic dreams – Beijing marks his fifth Olympiad, by the way – were over.

“I was more nervous than I have ever been ahead of the heat and was disappointed with the way I swam, but in my heart-of-hearts I knew I wasn’t capable of winning a medal,” Foster blogged for the Telegraph.

“In the warm-up I felt awful, in the sprints I felt OK, but back in there I was just awful.

“I’ve enjoyed [Beijing] more than any other Olympics. It was a wonderful honour to carry the flag at the opening ceremony. It was possibly the Olympic medal for me I’ve always missed, but I’ve been waiting to get out there and race.”

According to Alan Horn, president and chief operating officer of Warner Bros., the move was a strategic one – there was an open weekend in Hollywood’s busy summer season – and not due to any production problems.

“The picture is completely, absolutely, 100 percent on schedule, on time,” Horn said. “There were no delays. I’ve seen [it]. It is fabulous. We would have been perfectly able to have it out in November.”

Thursday, August 14, 2008

And this is what I call an exclusive: After four years, the long-awaited DVD of Madonna’s “Re-Invention Tour” is finally ready to arrive in stores, probably for the holidays, early 2009 at the latest.

The holdup was a rights disagreement, I believe.

The tour, chronicled in the documentary I’m Going to Tell You a Secret, was the Queen of Pop’s most crowd-pleasing in years. It featured such hits as “Vogue,” “Express Yourself,” “Burning Up,” and “Into the Groove,” as well as several songs from her underrated American Life album.

I saw her, for the first time, on three occasions that year, twice in Fort Lauderdale and once in Miami.

I loved it – and I will do anything to see her “Sticky & Sweet Tour” show in Miami later this year.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Directed and co-written (with actor Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen) and co-starring Ben Stiller (pulling triple duty for the first time since 2001’s Zoolander), the action comedy has been on my radar for months – ever since co-star Robert Downey Jr. gave summer a solid start with Iron Man.

Tropic Thunder would bookend Downey’s summer. The question was would it be a hit and keep him in our and Hollywood’s good graces…or would it flop? (It is opening in August, which has undergone a re-invention at the movie theater in recent years, but still – it’s the dog days.)

The actor plays Kirk Lazarus, an Aussie Method actor so committed to his craft he undergoes an experimental extreme makeover to play an African-American in the movie within the movie (i.e., he’s in blackface for most of the movie).

This is just one of the outrageously risky lengths to which Tropic Thunder dares to go for a laugh.

The movie surely raised eyebrows within the African-American community because of this, although, from what Stiller, Downey, and Jack Black toldEntertainment Weekly, at least one African-American (Brandon T. Jackson, who plays Alpa Chino, a rapper-cum-actor/energy drink hawker) made sure no lines were crossed.

Disability advocacy groups, however, picketed the movie’s premiere this week, to protest the movie’s repeated use of the word “retard.” You can’t please everyone, and this is an R-rated comedy, and in its context everything works. But I can see their point. It’s a sensitive matter.

I digress, though.

The point is the movie – about a group of self-absorbed actors led by Stiller’s Tugg Speedman, a dimming (and dim-witted) action star, that sets out to make the most expensive Vietnam War film ever but finds itself in the middle of a real-life hot zone – is hilarious.

And the cameos…the cameos are just terrific, especially…ha! …Tom Cruise’s, who’s unrecognizable as a bald, fat, crass, cussing, merciless studio head. Add to them the too-funny faux trailers that play before the movie and you have a crazy meta-fest that’s pretty cool.

Tropic Thunder – as its tagline says: Get some. You’ll love it, and perhaps you’ll hate yourself a little for it. But you’ll laugh, and that’s a cure-all.

When Beverly Hills, 90210 went off the air after a decade in 2000, it went down as one of TV’s top dramas, because of what was happening on and off screen.

The CW’s remake premiering in less than a month, 90210, promises the same.

The blogosphere recently reported that original-flavor cast member Tori Spelling will not reprise her role as Donna Martin in the remake due to a salary dispute. Spelling is said to have been offered “$10,000-$20,000” per episode – a lot less than the “$35,000-$50,000” per episode offered to ol’ co-stars Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth.

“[The press thinks Shannen and I a]re at war over salary with Tori,” said Garth, who will once again play Kelly Taylor in 90210. “I didn’t know I was at war with Tori.

“I’m really bummed because I love Tori and I was psyched [she] was going to be on the show. I think she should definitely get paid as much as either of us is getting paid. Her father [the late Aaron Spelling] created the show. It just seems wrong if that’s the case.”

Doherty, who will finally return to her famous zip code as much-missed Brenda Walsh, says she isn’t taking the reports at face value – and that we shouldn’t, either.

“They didn’t even get the numbers right,” she said, “so I don’t know if it’s about the money.”

All The CW had to say about the controversy was, “[We] ha[ve] no deal with Tori Spelling to appear on 90210 at this time.”

Duh’nuh-nuh-nuh, Duh’nuh-nuh-nuh – swoosh swoosh!

Photo: EW.com.

Update: Click here ASAP for your first look at a new promo featuring Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth together on screen again. The original frenemies are back!

Take it easy, M. We know you’ve got work to do, but as long as you flash your million-watt smile on stage this summer and fall, we won’t mind that much if you skip the rope-jumping on a few tour stops.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

That Sucks

For some reason – a good production company publicist perhaps? People.com featured this week an exclusive sneak peek at Sept. 12’s The Women.

In the clip, Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) is just expecting a routine nail appointment. What she gets, though, is some disturbing news about her husband, courtesy of a chatty manicurist played by Debi Mazar.

We’ve all been there, right? Finding out something somebody we care about is doing…from someone else. Not fun. Not fun at all.

R.I.P. Big MacComedian Bernie Mac died of pneumonia yesterday. Mac was 50 years old. “The world just got a little less funny, said his Ocean’s Eleven co-star George Clooney. “He will be missed dearly.”

Another Ocean’s player, Brad Pitt, said, “I lament the loss of a ferociously funny and hardcore family man. My thoughts are with [his wife] Rhonda and their family. Bernie Mac, you are already missed.”